World

One dead and several missing after Congo boat capsizes

KINSHASA (Reuters) - At least one person died and a dozen others were missing after a boat capsized in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a spokesman for the United Nations mission in the country said on Monday.

A U.N. drone spotted the vessel capsizing on Lake Kivu and peacekeepers intervened, Lieutenant-Colonel Felix Prosper Basse, a spokesman for the UN Stabilisation Mission in the DRC, told Reuters.

"A corpse was recovered and 14 people were rescued. We were told about a dozen others are still missing," Basse said, adding that it was unclear how many people the boat had been carrying.

The vessel had been travelling to Congo's North Kivu Province from South Kivu.

Accidents are common on the Great Lakes of central Africa due to overloading, lack of maintenance and lax enforcement of safety standards. In March, 107 people died when a boat carrying refugees capsized in Lake Albert, north of Lake Kivu.